Observed changes at Rensselaer

200 students occupied the Pittsburgh Building—the administration building at the time. It was spring 1969, and we were protesting something about President Folsom’s position on the library. I was ensconced in a quiet corner on the first floor when Assistant Dean Carl Westerdahl entered the building to check on things. He came over to me and asked how I was feeling (not great). He felt my forehead and said, “You have a fever. You need to go to the infirmary.” I replied, with a smile, that he was not going to succeed in clearing out 200 students by convincing them that they all needed medical attention. He implored me to get myself checked out, but I resisted. Then he said, “If you go to the infirmary and are okay, I promise to let you come back into the building and resume your spot on the floor.” I was impressed with his genuine concern and sincerity (considering that he had a major headache of his own to deal with), and I marched over to the infirmary. My temperature was over 102 degrees, and I was diagnosed with strep throat eventually—but that is another story. So, I could not go back to the protest and I never had the chance to test his promise, but have always believed that he would have honored it. Soon after that, Westerdahl contacted me and asked if I would be willing to serve on the Student Judicial Board. From what I have read lately of the current administration’s treatment of students involved in the recent student union protest, the relationship is not what it was.